A Change Is Gonna Come

On January 20th, WRAP members and our allies from Portland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose, Eureka, Philadelphia, and all over the Bay Area came together in San Francisco to weave together the freedom dreams of our diverse communities fighting for survival.

The weather forecast was “continued heavy rain and gale force winds.” We knew this would impact the size of the crowd for our first public event, but it didn’t matter. The stormy weather seemed fitting for the tumultuous times we’re in. It was a sharp reminder that people live and die in these conditions all winter long. This doubled our resolve.

Around ten in the morning the rain mellowed and by the time the rally began the clouds had parted to reveal bits of blue sky that had been hidden for over a week. The plaza crowded with people and banners, energy and anticipation filled the air. There were a lot of smiles going around. Eyes shone with determination and recognition that this was the time to take the next step together in this nascent West Coast movement. (more…)